Air gap devices are well known and in widespread use. These devices are placed in a water line upstream from a drain to prevent siphoning of water from the drain into a water system.
Known air gap devices have been deemed deficient for a variety of reasons. Many known air gap devices are located in a water line in an inconvenient location. Others have been connected to a faucet, but have not been received within the faucet body. As such, these prior faucet-mounted air gap devices have altered the dimensions (e.g., elevation above a mounting surface) and appearance of a faucet.
In light of these drawbacks and others associated with known air gap devices, it has been deemed desirable to develop a modular air gap device and faucet including same, wherein the air gap device is selectively housed within the faucet body, as needed, so that the external appearance of the faucet is unchanged by the installation of the air gap device therein.